Audio interconnects

Good-quality cables can mean the difference between full, engaging sound, and audio that's missing frequencies on the high or low end, sounding fuzzy or flat. When shopping for better audio cables, it's a good idea to look for:

• cables that use an oxygen-free copper (OFC) center conductor — it's more likely to pass signals accurately, with minimal signal loss.
• the best shielding you can afford to combat interference. Cables that include two separate shields — one made of braided copper, to guard against RFI, and one made of foil, to guard against EMI — help assure that no annoying buzzes or pops are introduced into the signal.
• good connectors that provide constant, high-pressure contact with your components' jacks. If the cable you're considering uses metal connectors, look for gold-plating to prevent corrosion and get a reliable, high-quality signal transfer.

Digital audio interconnects
These connections should be your first choice when it comes to audio. They typically provide the best sound quality, including the ability to carry a full surround sound signal. Below, we've listed the three main types of digital audio connections.

A high-quality HDMI cable will let you enjoy high-resolution audio from your Blu-ray discs. (Monster's Advanced High Speed 800HD cable pictured above)

HDMI

• What it does: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) delivers crystal-clear digital audio and video via a single cable. It uses a 19-pin connector to transfer audio and video signals in the digital language of 1s and 0s between components, eliminating the compromised sound quality caused by digital-to-analog conversions and reconversions. This surround-sound-capable cable is the only one that supports up to 8 channels of super-high-quality "lossless" soundtracks, including all the latest high-resolution audio formats from Blu-ray, like Dolby® TrueHD and DTS® HD-Master Audio.
• When to use it: Whenever you're hooking up a high-def source — like a Blu-ray player, high-def cable box, or high-def gaming console — to your home theater receiver.
• What to look for: The tolerances for HDMI cables are incredibly tight: the length of each strand of wire must be within 1/20,000th of an inch to ensure it will work properly. Different cables use different materials and construction techniques, and it's important to find a certified HDMI cable that'll carry the signal faithfully. Remember that HDMI has gone through some changes over the past few years, including changes to the audio specs. Make sure that your cable meets the correct HDMI standard of the gear you're trying to connect. You can read more about choosing quality HDMI cables in the video section of this article.

Optical cables transmit audio signals as pulses of light. (AudioQuest's OptiLink-A pictured above)

Optical

• What it does: Optical cables transmit digital audio signals as pulses of light. Like coaxial (below), it's also surround-sound-capable, but can only deliver 5.1-channels of audio and can't carry the new high-resolution formats from Blu-ray. The sound quality of optical and coaxial cables is about the same, though optical connections are more common these days.
• When to use it: Optical and coaxial digital (below) are your next best choice when HDMI isn't an option. Lots of HDTVs have an optical jack so that you can send surround signals from an over-the-air broadcast to your receiver. You can also find them on CD players, cable/satellite boxes, DVD players, and home theater receivers.
• What to look for: Because they use pulses of light rather than electrical impulses to transmit audio signals, optical cables are virtually impervious to interference. However, it's still important to look for a well-made cable. A quality fiber-optic element can prevent "jitter" — subtle changes in frequency that makes the audio skip or freeze — while solidly built connectors add durability.

Coaxial digital cables are also surround-sound-capable, delivering up to 5.1-channels of audio. (Monster Cable's 400dcx pictured above)

Coaxial

• What it does: Coaxial digital cables look on the surface like standard analog RCA cables; however, you should avoid using a standard audio interconnect to transfer a coaxial digital signal. Cables engineered specifically to pass a digital signal provide roughly 75-ohm impedance and wider frequency bandwidth, ensuring superior signal transfer. Like optical (above), it's also surround-sound-capable, but can only deliver 5.1-channels of DVD-quality audio. You'll get about the same sound quality from coaxial and optical.
• When to use it: Coaxial digital and optical (above) are your next best choices when HDMI isn't an option. Although coaxial isn't as common as optical these days, it's still a great way to get surround sound signals to your receiver from your DVD player, cable box, and other components.
• What to look for: When you're looking at cable specifications, look for the "impedance tolerance." It will tell you how close the cable approaches that 75-ohm mark, and should help you when trying to decide which cable to buy. You should also look for copper braid, rather than aluminum, since it's more conductive and can provide better performance.

Analog audio interconnects
This is the type of audio connection that most people are familiar with. Usually you'll see the simple red and white two-channel stereo connection, though some components also offer XLR and multi-channel analog connections.

XLR cables are mostly used with high-performance audio gear where excellent sound quality is a must. (AudioQuest's Diamondback pictured above)

XLR

• What it does: XLR is a connection primarily used with professional audio gear that requires "balanced" audio. The connector has three pins — one for the positive conductor, one for the negative conductor, and one for the ground wire or shield. When an amplifier receives the signals from an XLR cable, it's able to compare the signal coming from each conductor and reject any differences that it detects, which indicate noise. XLR is thus less susceptible to external noise sources and better for applications that require exceptional sound quality over long runs. XLR connections are mainly used for analog audio, but there are also digital XLR cables available.
• When to use it: Use it to connect high-performance home audio gear, such as compatible preamps and power amplifiers that both take XLR connectors. It's also commonly found on professional audio gear, especially with microphones that require "phantom power" — an electric charge runs through the ground wire and can power the mic's internal pre-amps.
• What to look for: Look for properly insulated conductors to keep the separate signals from interfering, along with good shielding to keep outside noise from affecting the signals. Copper center conductors and gold- or silver-plated conductors will provide the best possible signal transfer.

Multi-channel analog audio cables are a great solution for transferring high-resolution Blu-ray sound when an HDMI connection isn't available.

Multi-channel analog audio

• What it does: Multi-channel analog audio cables use six to eight stereo RCA cables to transfer five to seven full channels and one low-frequency channel of audio.
• When to use it: If you don't have an HDMI-capable receiver, this may be your only option for high-resolution Blu-ray surround sound. This setup uses the player's internal surround sound decoder and outputs the signal as analog to a compatible home theater receiver. You can find more information about connecting your Blu-ray player in our article on choosing and connecting a Blu-ray player. Multi-channel inputs can also be found on DVD players.
• What to look for: For good sound quality, look for copper center conductors, double or triple shielding, and high-pressure, gold plated RCA connectors.

You might recognize two-channel audio cables by the familiar red and white connectors.

Two-channel analog audio

• What it does: The most basic audio connection, two-channel analog audio cables use two stereo RCA cables bound together to transfer two channels of audio. You probably recognize the standard white and red RCA plugs — this is the type of cable most commonly found in the box with audio components.
• When to use it: You'll want to use it with older equipment when it's the only connection available. Otherwise, use it as a last resort or as a temporary measure until you can purchase one of the higher-quality cables discussed above.
• What to look for: Look for copper center conductors, double or triple shielding, and high-pressure, gold plated RCA connectors.

Video interconnects

Because of their higher frequencies, video signals are more susceptible to degradation than audio signals, particularly while traveling through a substandard conductor. And, as with audio, radio frequency and electromagnetic interference can taint the signal. This can cause lines, snow, and other artifacts to appear on your TV screen. A higher-quality cable with a copper conductor and double or even triple shielding can effectively preserve the strength and accuracy of the original signal.

Digital video interconnects
A digital video connection will give you the best picture quality when you're hooking up a high-quality digital source, like a high-def gaming system or Blu-ray player, to your HDTV. Digital cables are, in general, a good choice since they're less prone than analog video connections to jitter and other problems. Nevertheless, it's still important to use higher-quality cables, since using poorer-quality digital cables at lengths greater than 3 meters can result in dropouts and pixelation. Today, your main digital video connection option is an HDMI cable.

HDMI cables are able to carry high-def digital video signals up to 1080p. (AudioQuest's HDMI-X pictured above)

HDMI

• What it does: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cables permit the video signal to remain in digital form all the way to the screen, so you avoid the slight picture degradation that can come with translating the signal from digital to analog and back. HDMI cables can carry standard-definition and high-definition digital video signals up to 1080p resolution, depending on the capabilities of the source component. An HDMI connection is also the only cable that can pass upconverted signals from your Blu-ray or DVD player at 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. And of course HDMI is the only digital video interconnect that can carry up to eight channels of high resolution audio. Just be aware that HDMI is a work in progress — you'll want to check out your component's owner's manual to see which features it'll actually handle. For more information on what HDMI can do, check out our article about HDMI.
• When to use it: HDMI is the video connection of choice, so use it whenever you can. You can find it on HDTVs, most newer home theater receivers, video game consoles, HD cable and satellite boxes, and even new HD cameras and camcorders. HDMI cables are also backwards-compatible with the older digital video connection: DVI. You can use an HDMI-to-DVI adapter to connect an older component with a DVI terminal to a newer one with an HDMI terminal, but be aware that DVI is video-only — you won't be able to take advantage of HDMI's audio capabilities.
• What to look for: When you're shopping for an HDMI cable, look for higher-quality metals for better signal transfer, and shielding that will reject interference. You might also want to look for an HDMI cable with silver conductors, though bear in mind that silver is only about 5% more conductive than copper.

Analog video interconnects
If you're trying to find a connection for an older TV or receiver and HDMI isn't an option, then try to use one of the analog video connections below, starting with the topmost.

Component video cables are the only analog video cables capable of carrying a high-def signal, making it a good backup if HDMI isn't available. (Monster's 400CV cable pictured above)

Component

• What it does: Component video connections deliver better detail and color accuracy than you get with RF, composite, or S-video by splitting the video signal into three parts, with each part transmitted via its own cable. Unlike the other three types of analog connections, component video is capable of passing high-definition and progressive-scan video signals up to 1080p (although many video components will limit the output to 1080i).
• When to use it: Since it's also high-def capable, it's a good second when HDMI isn't an option. It can be found on most DVD players, HDTV tuners, TVs, and A/V receivers. Just be aware that not all video components can send, and not all HDTVs can receive, a full 1080p signal via component.
• What to look for: High-quality, gold-plated connectors that provide a secure fit are important. Also look for cables that use copper center conductors and double- or even triple-shielding to preserve the video signal.

S-video cables are useful when hooking up older gear, like S-VHS players. (Monster's 200sv cable pictured above)

S-video

• What it does: S-video cables feature round, 4-pin connectors, and transmit the chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) portions of a video signal along different paths. As a result, they provide better color accuracy and detail than either RF or composite connections. S-Video can transfer video resolutions up to 480i.
• When to use it: It's great for connecting older gear, like an S-VHS player or an old TV that doesn't offer a higher-quality connection. It can also be found on most receivers and on some DVD players.
• What to look for: Look for a cable that uses quality copper conductors and double-shielding to ensure proper signal transfer.

Composite video cables should be one of the last types of connections that you consider using, when no higher-quality connection is available. (Monster Video® 2 cable pictured above)

Composite video

• What it does: Composite video cables, also known as RCA, often have yellow video connectors grouped with corresponding red and white stereo audio connectors. It can transmit video resolutions up to 480i.
• When to use it: It's the type of cable most often found in-the-box with video components, but it should only be used with VCRs, older TVs, and other gear when there's no other higher-quality option.
• What to look for: Look for a cable with quality RCA-type connectors, and double-shielding if you want to be sure you're getting the best possible signal transfer.

Coaxial RF cables should only be used when sending a TV antenna, cable TV, or satellite signal to your A/V system from outside. (AudioQuest's VDM-A cable pictured above)

Coaxial RF

• What it does: Coaxial RF, also known as F-type, was designed to carry video and stereo audio information from a TV antenna or cable TV jack. Keep in mind that it should only be used to carry signals into your A/V system from outside your house. When used to send signals between components, it's the lowest quality video connection and can only transmit video resolutions up to about 350i.
• When to use it: It's used for connecting antennas, cable boxes, or satellite dishes (not to be confused with coaxial digital audio cable, above).
• What to look for: Standard coaxial cable is stamped "RG-59." Look for higher-quality "RG-6" cable, which features lower signal loss and better shielding, both of which are essential for DBS satellite systems and longer cable runs. And if you're installing the cable in your wall or underground, make sure it's properly rated for either application and that it has weather-proof connectors, if you need them.